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Social Participation Among Young Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Investigating social participation of young adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is important given the increasing number of youth aging into young adulthood. Social participation is an indicator of life quality and overall functioning. Using data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2, we examined rates of participation in social activities among young adults who received special education services for autism (ASD group), compared to young adults who received special education for intellectual disability, emotional/behavioral disability, or a learning disability. Young adults with an ASD were significantly more likely to never see friends, never get called by friends, never be invited to activities, and be socially isolated. Among those with an ASD, lower conversation ability, lower functional skills, and living with a parent were predictors of less social participation.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funding to Dr. Shattuck from the Organization for Autism Research, Autism Speaks, the Emch Foundation, and the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH086489). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or other funders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Therapy, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Gael I. Orsmond

  2. Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Paul T. Shattuck & Benjamin P. Cooper

  3. School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Paul R. Sterzing

  4. Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Kristy A. Anderson

Authors
  1. Gael I. Orsmond
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  2. Paul T. Shattuck
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  3. Benjamin P. Cooper
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  4. Paul R. Sterzing
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  5. Kristy A. Anderson
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Correspondence to Gael I. Orsmond.

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Orsmond, G.I., Shattuck, P.T., Cooper, B.P. et al. Social Participation Among Young Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 2710–2719 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1833-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1833-8

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